State extension service again to offer marketing program
The Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Lubbock will again offer its popular program that allows participants to get a better handle on how to market their crops.
The program teaches participants how to develop marketing plans and evaluate marketing alternatives. They also learn all the skills necessary to execute a marketing plan and how to manage risk to improve their profitability, said an extension agricultural economist.

Abernathy wins tractor honors
A tractor restoration project submitted by students from Abernathy took top honors in recent judging at the National FFA convention in Louisville, Ky.

Mergers reshaping ag, food industries
WASHINGTON {AP} With the Clinton administration's blessing, giant grain trader Cargill recently acquired the grain operations of one of its major competitors, and the merger of two major manufacturers of farm tractors was approved.
Now the Justice Department is being asked to approve a deal in which the largest pork processor would take over its nearest competitor. It would be the latest in a wave of mergers and acquisitions reshaping the U.S. agriculture and food industries.

Poll reveals consumers back Gates
WASHINGTON (AP) Whatever the score in federal court, Bill Gates and his Microsoft Corp. are winning in the court of public opinion.

More suits threaten Microsoft
NEW YORK (AP) A federal judge's powerful finding that Microsoft Corp. is a bullying high-tech monopolist could trigger a flurry of fresh lawsuits, give ammunition to the company's opponents in existing cases and embolden its technology rivals.

Business Today November 10, 1999
ATLANTA It's not a dot.com or a high-tech outfit. But United Parcel Service, which delivers many of the goods bought online, is expected to soar as high as many hot technology stocks when it begins trading publicly today.

Questions surround Microsoft
NEW YORK (AP) It's way too soon, very unlikely, yet hard not to ask: What would a $450 billion software monopoly like Microsoft be worth if it were sliced into smaller companies?
The most obvious and appealing comparison would be the government-ordered breakups of the AT&T and Standard Oil monopolies, both of which paid off nicely for shareholders.

Microsoft's stock falls, then rises
NEW YORK (AP) Wall Street ruled far more favorably on Microsoft than the federal judge who branded the software maker a monopoly, barely bruising the company's stock Monday and driving the technology-dominated Nasdaq market to another record.
But despite the apparent vote of confidence for Microsoft, investors also scrambled to buy shares of rival companies that may benefit from late Friday's scathing antitrust ruling against the software empire that made Bill Gates the world's richest man.

Business Today November 9, 1999
Priceline.com said Monday it will sell blocks of domestic and international calling time, beginning early next year. The company now lets customers name their prices for cars, groceries, plane tickets and hotel rooms.

Regulators watch communications mergers
WASHINGTON (AP) Faced with an unprecedented wave of mammoth mergers in the communications industry, top regulators said Monday they are watching carefully to ensure the deals don't work against consumers' interests.

Amazon.com plays hard ball with hardware
NEW YORK (AP) Amazon.com, trying to build itself into an online superstore, is expanding into both software and hardware real hardware, as in nails, sandpaper and power tools.

Dell to open second plant in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Three months after opening its first U.S. manufacturing plant outside Texas, Dell Computer Corp. on Monday announced plans to open a second plant in Tennessee.

Lou Holtz learning from miserable season
So much for the idea that offense wins games and defense wins championships. If that were true, South Carolina should be in the thick of the race for the Southeastern Conference championship game. South Carolina versus Florida would be all over television Saturday because both teams were fighting for a title.
Instead, the Gamecocks are in the thick of a 19-game losing streak.

Don Williams: Texas A&M struggles with inner turmoil
The day R.C. Slocum was supposed to celebrate his 55th birthday, the Texas A&M coach kicked one of his most visible seniors off the team. Tailback Dante Hall was suspended indefinitely on Sunday, effectively ending his college career. That's how the season is unfolding in College Station even good days go bad.
The day Slocum celebrated his 100th victory at A&M, Oct. 30, was the week after a 51-6 loss at Oklahoma and the week before a 37-0 loss at Nebraska. The 1982 A&M team had been the last to lose two games in the same season by at least 35 points.

A Valuable Web Site
SCORE ONE FOR THE Lubbock Police Department's Internet site of registered sex offenders. An alert parent logged on to it and learned that Cub Scout volunteer Armando Rocha, 32, was a convicted child molester.

Louisiana Caucuses
THE 1996 LOUISIANA CAUCUSES did not go down in history as one of the Pelican State's finer moments.

Texts Tussle Too Late
MORE PHONICS INSTRUCTION needed to be included in the first-grade reading books used by public school students, but we are concerned about the tardy requirement of the State Board of Education that an average of 80 percent of words in the books be decodable -- able to be sounded out.

More Voter Apathy
NO ONE IN HIS or her right mind expected a large voter turnout in last week's election regarding 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.
We certainly did not. But we have to admit that the dismal showing of Texas voters at polling places exceeded our already low expectations.

Depp runs away with new movie role
Johnny Depp, who's starring in the new version of the tale of Icabod Crane, "Sleepy Hollow," says when he re-read the story he brewed all kinds of ideas for the character.
"I said, 'I can get a great prosthetic artist, wear a long, snipe nose, big ears, put extensions on my fingers have, these longer hands. ...' Quite frankly, the upper echelon at Paramount were not very enthusiastic about the idea.

Valek says her choice is Purdue
Purdue didn't get much of a head start in recruiting Coronado girls basketball star Erika Valek this year. But the Boilermakers still ended up with the prize.
Valek, a senior point guard and one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the nation, orally committed to Purdue on Tuesday in advance of the NCAA Division I early signing period, which begins today.

Area teams continue post season journey
Lamesa, Denver City, Hereford and Plains are scheduled to resume their volleyball playoff quests today, while Coronado High School will be the site of a Class 5A playoff doubleheader.
In the 3A regional quarterfinals, the Golden Tors (25-5 overall) travel to Seminole for a 7:30 p.m. match against Crane (19-11), and the Fillies (26-7) meet Greenwood (21-13) at 6:30 p.m. in the Lamesa Middle School. The winners of both matches advance to the Region 1-3A Tournament, which begins Friday at Monterey High School.

A-J Wedding Notices
I am writing about The A-J's wedding announcements, i.e., "The bride is self-employed in the legal industry." What's wrong with "The bride practices law"?

Crude, Lewd Behavior
When will parents get their kids under control? This past week has me wondering, what are parents doing?

Time To Move On
I have just read the article about Sung Won Sohn discussing Lubbock's losing its "working age population" (A-J, 11-3). I lived in Lubbock for over 40 years, but recently moved to the Dallas area earlier this year. Why? Reason #1: My wife graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in MIS. She would not work in Lubbock because local industries would not pay competitive salaries. Reason #2: My job as a computer consultant requires me to travel 48-50 weeks of the year (I am sending this letter via e-mail from my office in Milwaukee, Wis.). The quality of air service in and out of LIA is terrible. When Lubbock lost its jet service to DFW airport, then I, too, knew it was time to move somewhere else.
CAREY LONG, Frisco, Texas Via e-mail

Fascinating Program
Media opportunity missed! It was a great show.
Top Lubbock artists demonstrating portraiture with exciting Lubbock "newsmakers" as models. Around 70 observers enjoyed this Lubbock Art Association (LAA) program Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Garden & Arts Center.

Good Samaritans
I wish to express my appreciation and praise to a girl named Stephanie with her mobile phone and a Lubbock Police Department officer who jump-started my car and stopped traffic when my car quit running on Slide Road in the left turn lane at the east entrance to the mall in five o'clock traffic a few weeks ago.

Pumping Iron
Most people find it difficult to maintain an at-home fitness program, let alone a guided, group program at a gym, said Gil Reeve, chair of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department at Texas Tech.
''Too many people think that once they get the home exercise equipment or machines that they're going to exercise,'' Reeve said. ''But most people drop out within three to six months ... and over 50 percent of the people who sign up for fitness programs will drop out within six months.''

Recipe Exchange
An anonymous reader requested a recipe for rum glazed holiday fruit bread. Juanita Whitaker sent in the following recipe:

Coastal Italian Tastes
Chef Bert Cutino realizes the importance of giving back to his industry and to the community.
That's why Cutino, executive chef at the Sardine Factory in Monterey, Calif., will come to Lubbock to be the guest chef at the 1999 Master Chef Dinner to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation of West Texas. The dinner will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Lubbock Club.

Montford's name gets tossed around
Texas Tech Chancellor John Montford's name is being tossed around with the likes of former Gov. Ann Richards and University of Texas at El Paso President Diana Natalicio to lead one of the country's largest university systems.

Former inmate loses appeal in county lawsuit
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with Lubbock County in the case of a former jail inmate left paralyzed after a 1996 altercation with county jail deputies.
The appeals court let stand the decision that Lubbock County is not liable for a neck injury that left Mohamet Sheriff Njie a quadriplegic.

Williams indicted for child pornography
A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted convicted child molester Kenneth Ray Williams with a 20-count charge of sending pornographic pictures of children across the Internet and ordering a magazine that featured child pornography this spring and summer.

Students Teaching Students
Amid a gymnasium full of wide-eyed gazes and occasional giggles, the students of Wester Elementary got a chance Monday to experience an art form most of them had never seen or heard opera.

Trick-or-treater upgraded to serious
J.J. Floyd, the boy who was critically injured Halloween night during a hit-and-run accident, was upgraded to serious condition Tuesday at University Medical Center.

Jobless rate levels off in Lea
Though officials say the boom days are long gone when oil companies hired the able-bodied on the spot, higher oil prices are levelling off once-skyrocketing unemployment rates in Lea County, N.M.

LISD board to study projects for bond package
Armed with a committee's recommendations, Lubbock Independent School District trustees will attempt to compile a bond proposal Thursday to present to the district's taxpayers early next year.

Police looking into shooting during raid
Lubbock police are investigating the shooting of a Lubbock man by a federal agent during a drug raid Friday night, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Doctoral students to read poetry
A pair of Texas Tech doctoral students will read their poetry at 7:30 p.m. today in the Formby Room of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.

Brownfield Councilman Garza arrested for DWI
Brownfield City Councilman Gilbert Garza was arrested early Sunday for driving while intoxicated, but the three-term council member denies that he was drunk while behind the wheel.

Prosecutor appointed to judgeship
With support split evenly between two candidates, County Judge Tom Head cast the deciding vote Monday to appoint Deputy Criminal District Attorney Rusty Ladd to the county Court-at-Law No. 1 judgeship.
Head's crucial vote came after the commissioners deadlocked 2-2 on a motion to appoint City Councilman David Nelson. After the motion for Nelson's appointment failed, the Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to appoint Ladd.

Shooting findings to go to CDA
Findings from the Lubbock Police Department's investigation into the shooting of a 37-year-old Lubbock man by a federal agent last week will go to the Criminal District Attorney, police officials said Tuesday.

Rowton's former cellmate now suing Lamb County
Despite a jury's decision to acquit former Lamb County inmate Eddie Rowton of rape charges, his former cellmate and alleged victim has filed a nearly $1 million suit against the county for negligence related to the claimed assault.

Tech plans degree in e-business
Without question, electronic commerce will drastically change the way business is conducted within the next three years, a Texas Tech accounting professor says.

Study reveals new data on heart disease
ATLANTA {AP} Women who actually follow all of the standard health advice eat sensibly, don't smoke, get some exercise, keep the weight down, have an occasional drink can reduce their chance of heart disease an astonishing 82 percent, according to a study released Monday.
Many studies over the years have shown the importance of specific habits such as kicking cigarettes or cutting out saturated fat. But Harvard researchers say theirs is the first to show what happens when people do everything they are supposed to.

Women favor Gore, Bush in NH
CONCORD, N.H. {AP} Vice President Al Gore and Republican front-runner George W. Bush are getting most of their support in New Hampshire from women, according to a Dartmouth College-Associated Press poll.

President participates in online 'town hall'
WASHINGTON {AP} A "virtual town hall meeting" featuring President Clinton online was patterned on citizen exchanges going back to the start of the nation, Clinton's spokesman said Monday.

Congressional budget talks continue
WASHINGTON {AP} Budget bargainers shook hands on money for hiring police and zeroed in on other deals Tuesday, but hopes that Congress would adjourn by midweek faded amid fights over teachers, United Nations dues and other issues.

Court refuses to spare killers' lives
WASHINGTON {AP} The Supreme Court rejected appeals Monday that sought to spare the lives of two convicted killers by contending their long stays on death row subjected them to cruel and unusual punishment.

Bush rallies for war veterans
PICKENS, S.C. {AP} Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush demanded Tuesday that the U.S. government repay its "debt of honor" to veterans, and tangled with rival John McCain's campaign over who is best-suited to be commander-in-chief.

Jackson leads protest against school's action
DECATUR, Ill. {AP} The Rev. Jesse Jackson led protesters to the steps of a high school Monday to demand the reinstatement of seven black students who were expelled for two years for fighting at a football game.

Court asked to order recreation of Waco infrared video
WASHINGTON {AP} The special counsel investigating the 1993 Waco siege has asked a judge to order a demonstration designed to show whether bursts of light on FBI infrared surveillance tapes constitute gunfire from federal agents into the Branch Davidian compound.

Court to rule on age discrimination proof
WASHINGTON {AP} The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide how much proof a worker must provide to show illegal age bias by an employer. At issue is whether an employee told by a supervisor he "must have come over on the Mayflower" must show his firing was sparked by a discriminatory motive.

HMO says doctors will have final say
NEW YORK (AP) Abandoning the bedrock principle underlying managed care, UnitedHealth Group said Monday that doctors, not health plan administrators, now will have the final say on which treatments it will cover.
UnitedHealth is the nation's second-largest health insurer behind Aetna and covers 14.5 million people.

Wage plan approved in Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) With eyes cast to the 2000 elections, the Senate voted Tuesday to give minimum-wage workers a dollar raise over three years but tied the increase to $18.4 billion in business tax sweeteners opposed by the White House.
President Clinton immediately denounced the measure as a ''cynical tool to advance special interest tax breaks'' and renewed his promise to veto it. He urged Congress instead to pass a $1-an-hour increase over two years without the large tax cuts.

Supreme Court considers student fees
WASHINGTON {AP} If Tuesday's courtroom session was an indication, the Supreme Court is finding it hard to decide whether public universities and colleges across America can keep using money from mandatory student fees to finance controversial campus groups.

Clinton predicts budget deal by middle of week
WASHINGTON {AP} President Clinton predicted Monday that a federal spending deal could be struck by midweek, but said Republicans should support his proposal to help school districts hire thousands of new teachers.

President celebrates the Wall's fall
WASHINGTON {AP} President Clinton, celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall a decade ago, said Monday that Republicans are out of step with most Americans who want the United States to keep a major role in world affairs rather than take a "go it alone" approach.

Charles Estes Sr.
Services for Charles W. Estes Sr., 80, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sanders Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Robert Field officiating.

Charles Trout
DENVER CITY (Special) Services for Charles Wesley Trout, 75, of Big Lake will be at 2 p.m. today at First Baptist Church in Plains with the Rev. Bob Webb, pastor of First Baptist Church in Denver City, officiating.

Ezra Gross
Graveside services for Ezra Melvin Gross, 91, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. today in City of Lubbock Cemetery with the Rev. Walter Goodnight officiating.

Joan Reed
Memorial services for Joan Seal Reed, 68, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Abbey Chapel of Resthaven Funeral Home with the Rev. Paul Cunningham officiating.

Glenn Perkins
TURKEY (Special) Graveside services for Glenn Perkins, 64, of Lubbock will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Dream Land Cemetery in Turkey with the Rev. Vernon Ferguson officiating.

Vikings turn Cowboys injuries into 27-17 win
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) First Dallas lost Emmitt Smith with a broken hand, then Troy Aikman with a concussion.
Game over, as the Minnesota Vikings took advantage of their absence Monday night by scoring 27 straight points to rally past the Cowboys 27-17.

Prosecutor considers pursuing abuse charge
INDIANAPOLIS {AP} As the Indianapolis Colts rallied around grieving teammate Steve Muhammad, the Marion County prosecutor's office said Tuesday no decision had been made about pursuing charges of domestic battery against him.

Without triplets, Dallas woes multiply
IRVING (AP) The Dallas Cowboys always knew that one day they'd be without their three big stars on offense. After 152 regular-season games, it looks like that day will be Sunday.
Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin are expected to miss the same game for the first time since becoming teammates in 1990.

Woods' tear may be sign of things to come
SOTOGRANDE, Spain {AP} Tiger Woods broke into a wide grin when asked how he could possibly top this year a major championship, eight titles on the tour, $6 million in winnings and a Ryder Cup victory for good measure.

Car injury kills wife of Colts star
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The death of Steve Muhammad's wife after childbirth was caused by injuries from an auto accident and had nothing to do with an alleged beating by the Colts player, a coroner ruled Monday.

NFL notes
KIRKLAND, Wash. After holding out for half the season, wide receiver Joey Galloway arrived in town Monday night.

Catchings earns national pick
Tamika Catchings, part of Chamique Holdsclaw's supporting cast during her first two seasons at Tennessee, stood on her own Tuesday as the top vote-getter on The Associated Press preseason All-America team in women's basketball.

Discovered body may be NM man
AZTEC, N.M. {AP} Authorities believe a body found lying next to a shotgun near a pickup truck is that of a Cedar Hill man who has been missing since August. The body had a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said.

Carlsbad police issued digital cameras
CARLSBAD, N.M. {AP} Carlsbad police officers are packing digital cameras along with their 9 mm pistols.
Since September, all 47 officers and detectives have been issued a digital camera with their weapon, scanner and radio. Police Chief Jim Koch said the digital cameras allow officers to photograph evidence on the spot.

Texas Baptists snub call for wifely submission
EL PASO (AP) Texas' Southern Baptists on Tuesday repudiated the denomination's call for women to ''submit graciously'' to their husbands.
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the largest state organization (2.7 million members) within the nation's 15.7 million-member Southern Baptist Convention and sends it millions of dollars each year. But the state organization is more moderate than the national one.

Lady Raider notebook November 9, 1999
Injury updateFreshman Alison Cudnoski has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee for the second time in just more than one year, Texas Tech announced Monday.

Home Turf: Tech freshman thinking quick on his feet
For the toes, heels and soles of the quickest pair of feet at Texas Tech, the favorite place to run is the edge of the big green carpet.
Check the evidence: In his first nine games at tailback in 1999, Red Raiders freshman speedster Shaud Williams has played five games on artificial turf and four games on natural grass. His average per-game rushing total on turf is 107.4 yards. On grass, his average is 27.0.

Disappointing losses taking toll on Aggies
COLLEGE STATION {AP} The strident call is going out on radio call-in shows and the internet: Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum must go and quarterback Randy McCown must be benched.

Tech may need two wins for bowl berth
The Texas Tech football team might not get invited to a postseason bowl game this season if it doesn't win its last two games against Texas and Oklahoma, according to circumstances taking shape in the Big 12 Conference, the Sanford Independence Bowl and Jeep Aloha Bowl in Hawaii.
Here's the breakdown: Four Big 12 teams have already qualified for bowl berths with at least six victories. Three other teams including Texas Tech (5-4), Oklahoma (5-3) and Colorado (5-4) need just one more win to qualify.

Judge delays trial to consider change of venue
JASPER {AP} The attorney for dragging death defendant Shawn Allen Berry argued to move the proceedings from Jasper Monday, a day before testimony was to begin, complaining that pretrial news coverage and a biased juror pool make getting a fair trial impossible.
Berry's attorney, Joseph C. "Lum" Hawthorn, filed for the venue change Friday, moments before 12 white jurors and two alternates were selected.

Attorney seeks to move Jasper trial
JASPER {AP} The attorney for dragging death defendant Shawn Allen Berry argued to move the proceedings from Jasper Monday, a day before testimony was to begin, complaining that pretrial news coverage and a biased juror pool make getting a fair trial impossible.

Poll: Texans tougher on law violators
HUNTSVILLE {AP} Over the past two decades, Texans have become less tolerant of crime and more fond of tough sentences for criminals, a Sam Houston State University poll suggests.

Preacher free on bond, three others held in church blaze
WICHITA FALLS (AP) A minister accused of setting fire to a church that was covered by a large insurance policy was free on bond Monday night, but three others charged in the crime remained in custody.
Arrests of the Rev. Theophilus Thompson, pastor of the Full Gospel Power House Church of God in Christ, and the others in the 1996 blaze came less than two weeks before a three-year statute of limitations ran out on the case, investigators say.

Producer loses appeal tied to dragging death case
JASPER {AP} An appeals court Tuesday denied without comment a CBS producer's attempt to have two contempt charges against her overturned, meaning she must report to the Jasper County Jail to begin serving the indefinite sentence leveled against her by the judge trying the third dragging death case.

Judge: Killer understands death penalty
FORT WORTH {AP} Larry Keith Robison's own words helped seal his fate Monday during a hearing to determine whether the convicted killer is mentally competent to understand his death sentence.

Russia pours reinforcements into Chechnya
GROZNY, Russia {AP} Russia boosted its military offensive in Chechnya on Monday, sending more soldiers, artillery and tanks to the southern republic and striking its capital with missiles, Russian and Chechen officials said.

Cyclone devastates Indian state
BHUBANESWAR, India {AP} The cyclone that struck one of India's poorest regions nearly two weeks ago is shaping up as one of the worst natural disasters to strike modern India. An estimated 10 million people more than those who live in New York City lost their homes, livestock or livelihood in the storm, Red Cross officials reported Tuesday.

Many share memories of Nov. 9, 1989
BERLIN {AP} Giving out warm drinks to soothe the cold hands of people coming to West Berlin is what Sister Brigitte Queisser remembers about the frenzied days just after Nov. 9, 1989.

Wall's fall let Romania get Americanized
BUCHAREST, Romania {AP} Alin Stan listens with a mixture of boredom and amusement as the Luxembourg Orchestra plays waltzes and polkas on an open air stage. He's waiting for what he considers the main event at the concert: Romanian hip-hop bands.

Russian navy to help nuclear clean-up
ARKHANGELSK, Russia {AP} Nikolai Birillo was trained to end the world, not clean it up.
Birillo, a vice admiral in the Russian navy, ran patrols on nuclear submarines for 23 years, carrying missiles and torpedoes tipped with atomic warheads.

Russians mark Berlin Wall anniversary with bitterness
MOSCOW, Russia {AP} While people in countries across the former East Block celebrated the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Tuesday, Russia's government met the occasion with a jab at NATO expansion.

Russian won't halt offensive
GROZNY, Russia {AP} Russia said Tuesday it has no intention of ending its offensive against Chechnya despite mounting international criticism, and federal forces again battered towns and rebel positions in the breakaway republic.

Germans celebrate fall of Berlin Wall
BERLIN {AP} With fireworks, concerts and a huge party at the landmark Brandenburg Gate, Germany on Tuesday celebrated the courage of hundreds of thousands of East Germans who brought down the reviled Berlin Wall 10 years ago with their peaceful demands for democracy.

Historic peace talks begin in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank {AP} Setting a breathtakingly ambitious 100-day deadline to craft the broad outlines of a peace that has eluded them for a half century, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators launched landmark talks Monday with handshakes, smiles and frank acknowledgments that great gaps divide them.

Bush honored for hand in German unity at Berlin reunion
BERLIN {AP} Former President Bush, honored Monday for his role in the fall of the Berlin Wall 10 years ago, said there is still much to be done "to secure the values of freedom and prosperity in eastern Europe."
Bush met with two other Cold War leaders, Helmut Kohl and Mikhail Gorbachev, to celebrate their collaboration in a historic milestone the opening of the Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, and the ensuing diplomacy that ensured German unification and redrew the map of Europe.